Police have made significant progress on honour-based violence but there is more for agencies to do

National Lead for Honour-based Violence Commander Mak Chishty, said:

"This research rightly recognises that the police service has made significant progress in tackling this honour-based violence in the past 10 years. There are now honour-based violence leads in forces and we have been conducting successful investigations into crimes associated with honour-based violence leading to successful prosecution of offenders. This is the product of many years of close working with health services, schools and colleges, social services and third sector organisations which have an understanding of honour-based abuse and can help us reach those who may be at risk.

"Honour-based violence should never be seen in isolation as it can cut across many strands of police work such as domestic abuse, rape and in the very worst cases, murder. The College of Policing is leading work to update guidance around protecting the public from dangerous people which will help officers to recognise the signs and take action on honour-based violence in these kinds of contexts.

"Existing guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is clear that there is a need for forces to flag honour-based abuse incidents to understand the prevalence of such incidents. The College is working to accredit force crime registrars, who are responsible for logging crimes within forces, so that all forces work to national standards.

"The police service is not complacent about the work yet to be done and continues to explore examples of best practice so that these can be shared with colleagues around the country. Joint working between agencies continues to improve with closer links to prosecutors, health and social care services to ensure that we have the best systems in place to prevent crimes, support victims and keep them safe, while investigating perpetrators."

ACPO represents chiefs in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

All national standards and practice are developed by the College of Policing and agreed by Professional Committee before adoption. Authorised Professional Practice defines nationally agreed good practice for forces, but accountability as to whether to adhere to such guidance rests with chief constables who are operationally independent. In some cases, Chief Constables' Council needs to agree that standards can be implemented operationally before they are introduced.

Research can be viewed here: http://ikwro.org.uk/

For more information please contact:

ACPO Press Office
Association of Chief Police Officers
e: press.office@acpo.pnn.police.uk